SALEM - Salem Hills High School opened its doors to the surrounding community Monday to give students, parents and teachers a chance to get to know the new building before classes begin this fall.

Teachers and student body officers wore the Skyhawks' new school colors, sky blue and navy, and showed off the new building with pride.

Cheerleaders filled the front entrance with yells and school spirit. The excitement for the new school seemed to wash over the whole community.

"We're excited for the Skyhawks," said Peggy Vanausdal, a parent from Salem. "They've got school spirit."

The school will create a more closely-knit community, Vanausdal said. Before the building was built, high school and middle school students had to travel to Spanish Fork or Payson for classes.

"It's an awesome day," said Chris Sorenson, Nebo School District superintendent.

The only damper on the day, Sorenson said, was that the district wasn't yet ready to open the Maple Mountain High School in Mapleton as well. That building is scheduled to be open for the 2009 school year.

Salem Hills is the first new school in the Nebo School District in 100 years, Sorenson said, though the buildings for the other existing schools are not nearly that old.

Nebo School District is the fastest growing district in a fast growing state, Sorenson said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau statistics, Utah is in the top five states for population growth.

Ann Anderson, the principal at Salem Hills, said the new schools are starting out smaller. About 900 students are registered for fall 2008, she said. Registration is expected to be about 1,100 next year, she said.

Salem Hills is taking students from Spanish Fork and Payson high schools, which have been rivals for decades.

But, Anderson said, rivalries from old schools are "not an issue at all."

"Kids are excited," she said.

Anderson said unity is an important issue, and everyone has worked hard to bridge gaps from city to city.

"We've experienced a lot of growth," said Mayor Lane Henderson of Salem. "It's a battle we fight every day."

Managing growth is a top priority for the city council, he said.

Salem has experienced about a 10 percent growth rate in the last few years, though it has slowed because of the economy, he said.

"We won't change the identity of Salem," he said, "urban living in a rural setting."

However, Henderson said most people in the small-town community are ready for the change. Salem is becoming a self-sufficient city, he said, and the new high school has a lot to do with it.

"It's nice to have a high school in the community," said Ralph Jamsa, a counselor at Salem Hills.

The new building was designed to be appealing and enhance the educational environment, he said.

The building was also designed with future growth in mind, Jamsa said. Classrooms are bigger, have more storage space and new equipment for teachers, he said.

However, class sizes won't be changing much, Jamsa said. Because of funding, the student-teacher ratio will stay about the same, he said.

"We have a wonderful opportunity to become a microcosm of society," Jamsa said. With the population growth comes more diversity in the schools, he added.

laciehales@byu.net

Copyright Brigham Young University 4 Jun 2008